TEHRAN- 20,000 seafarers and 2,000 ships trapped in the Persian Gulf's waterway bottleneck. UN calls for immediate aid to sailors, and Qatar believes that resolving the crisis is not the responsibility of one country alone.

As the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran continues and Washington's so-called naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains in place, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has reported that approximately 20,000 seafarers and 2,000 ships are now stranded in this vital waterway.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, speaking at a maritime conference in Singapore, expressed deep concern over the dire situation of the stranded sailors, stating that they are suffering from severe stress and fatigue. He urged shipping companies to provide remote support to the seafarers, particularly in the area of mental health.

Dominguez noted that some countries have established 24-hour helplines for the sailors, while others have been providing food aid. However, he emphasized that more can be done on a human level, such as proactively reaching out to sailors to listen to them and help reduce their sense of isolation.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's energy supply passes daily, is currently under Iranian military control. This measure comes in response to US and Israeli attacks against Iran. Meanwhile, the United States claims to have imposed a naval blockade on Iran, which effectively means blocking this strategic waterway.

In a related development, Qatar has warned that the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz threatens to turn a regional crisis into an international one. A spokesperson for Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed: "Resolving the Strait of Hormuz crisis is not the responsibility of one country alone, but of all countries."

Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshall Asim Munir, has told President Trump by phone that the US blockade on Iranian ports is a major obstacle to resuming talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad, Reuters also reported on Monday.

A Pakistani security source told the outlet that Trump told Munir he would consider his advice, but so far, there’s no sign the US intends to ease the blockade, which dramatically escalated on Sunday as US forces in the Gulf of Oman attacked and seized an Iranian cargo ship.

The source told Reuters that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had spoken to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and asked whether he would send a delegation to Islamabad, but Pezeshkian said it would not happen unless the blockade is lifted.

These developments come as the US-Israeli imposed war on Iran has not only destabilized the region but also cast the lives of thousands of innocent seafarers into a shadow of uncertainty and suffering.